I giggled from my seat in
the corner. It was Shigure's last class of the day, and I was sitting
in as I often did, waiting for his class to be over so that we could
go home. Lately I worked as his assistant, grading some papers for
him while he taught the class. Today was another review day, this
time for one of his books.

"All right, get it
out of your systems now so we can continue with the class. All
right?" at that someone stood up, shouted "Everybody, one!
Two! Three! PERVERT!!" the class all shouted the last word, and
I couldn't help but start laughing as Shigure gave a bow. This class
was always doing silly stuff like this that other teachers would
never allow.

He smiled, and I could
have sworn he glanced over at me, but I'm sure I was mistaken.

"Now, seriously. What
were your opinions over writing technique, plot line, you know the
drill."

A girl near the windows
raised her hand. "It had a very flowing story, moving smoothly
from scene to scene. You described things very well, it was easy to
see them in the mind's eye. And the, ahem, love scene, was quite
tastefully done."

Another girl piped in.
"Yeah, and the twists to the story... wow! It's hard to imagine
how you came up with some of those. How'd you come up with the
immense family problems?"

I raised my hand, when no
one else did. "Maybe Sohma-sensei could ask if there were any
problems in the book that left questions for the reader? I believe
there was one left unanswered at the end."

His eyebrows raised as he
looked at me bemusedly. "Miss Honda makes a good point. Did
anybody question the ending?"

This time a guy spoke out,
not bothering to raise his hand. "Yeah, I did. Why did the girl
choose to leave her lover, when it would have hurt them both more
than her staying? I mean, why cause yourself pain?"

"Tell me, Mr.
Sakishima, did you read the book, or just the last chapter?"

"The book!" he
said, in a whiny-ish voice.

"Then you wouldn't
mind giving a quick summary of the whole book, now, would you?"

Mr. Sakishima jumped to
his feet. He was the same guy who had gotten the class to call
Shigure a pervert earlier. "It's about this girl who, uh, shags
this guy, who's like her cousin, and uh... ditches him in the end."
The class started snickering into their hands as Shigure smirked at
him.

"Mr. Sakishima, I
want an essay summary of the novel by Thursday, no less than five
thousand words."

"You're kidding me!"

"No, I'm quite
serious. That will give you plenty of time to read the book and get a
thorough understanding of it before the final exam. Maybe for once
you can get a passing grade in my class."

The class laughed again as
the boy turned scarlet. "Yes, sir." he mumbled.

"As for the rest of
you, I want a report of comparison on how the plot is similar and
different to that of the last novel we read. Due tomorrow, at least
one page in length." the class ended, and before he left,
Shigure called Mr. Sakishima to his desk. When everyone had left, he
spoke again.

"So what kept you
from reading the book?" Shigure asked him.

"I had to work, my
boss wouldn't let me off until closing, because one of the other
cooks has been sick for the past week and a half. I'm sorry sir."

Shiure sighed. "I can
understand work problems, but I can't let you slack off in your
school work, either. You're paying too much just to attend this
school, you don't want to have to take the course over. Talk to your
boss, see if he'll try and let you leave at a certain time each night
so that you can get your homework done, too. If he won't, maybe I
could talk to him for you."

"Yes, sen-sei."
he turned to leave, but Shigure stopped him again.

"Also, for that
summary, don't worry about the word count. So long as you get the
point across, it doesn't matter. All right?"

The boy smiled. "Thank
you, sensei!" he left.

I walked over to Shigure.
"You're a kind teacher, Shigure-san."

"Yeah... what's wrong
with me, anyway?" he said, grinning as he turned to look at me.

"Absolutely nothing.
It's a good thing to be kind."

He didn't say anything,
merely gazed at me. I stared back as long as I could, before I
started to feel self conscious under his watchful eyes. I turned, and
headed for the door. "Shall we go?" I asked.

Nodding, he grabbed his
bag. Together we walked in companionable silence to the entrance of
the college, and out to his car. The drive was silent, until I
realized we weren't heading home.

"Where are we going,
Shigure-san?"

He didn't say anything at
first, but soon he glanced over at me. "To see another of my
cousins, Ayame."

"Oh! I can't wait to
meet him." I told him. "Are we just visiting, or do you
have some business to do with him? Oh, please don't answer if you
don't want to. I was being nosy, sorry." my voice got quieter as
I carried on, my head drooping in shame.

"It's kind of
business, but he asked me for a favor, actually. I've told him about
you, and he wanted to meet you." he was hiding something, but I
didn't ask him what.

"That's very kind of
him. But why would he want to meet me?" I wondered aloud.

He gave a nervous laugh.
What was wrong with him? He seemed uneasy about my meeting his
cousin, I wonder why...

* * * * * Shigure's POV
* * * * *

"That's fine, I'm
sure I'll like her," she smiled at me. I couldn't help but laugh
a little worriedly. Ayame was helping me in my little plan, but I
didn't want Tohru to feel like she owed me even more, especially
since I was fixing to give her a new wardrobe.

We arrived at the small
shop my cousin ran, and I gave a deep breath. Here goes...

I opened the door for
Tohru, and she got out of the car, smiling brightly. I cared so much
for the girl... My entire personality seemed to change around her,
and it felt more free to me to be like this. Tomorrow we will have
lived together for a full month, and I wanted to make it special, by
taking her some place fancy. Unfortunately, she didn't have the type
of clothing needed for the restaurant I had reservations for.

Upon opening the shop door
she squealed in delight. "It's such a cute shop!" she
exclaimed, turning to me with a wide smile on her face.

"Huh?" she
squeaked, as Mine grabbed her hands, leading her to another room.

I laughed nervously again.
"Sorry, Tohru. They needed a model, and I, well, you'll see soon
enough." I hated to do this to her, but Tohru would never have
agreed to it otherwise.

She looked a little scared
as she was whisked into the dressing room with Mine.

"Do not worry,
Gure-san, she'll be fine. Mine knows what to do, and will make sure
everything works perfectly on her."

"Thanks, Ayame, for
all your help."

"Think nothing of it.
The only thing I regret is that I am no longer number one in your
life." he pretended to sob as I reached out to him. Laying my
hand on his shoulder, he looked up. Smiling, we did our usual thumbs
up before settling down on the couch. "So tell me Gure, what is
it you have planned for tomorrow?"

I grinned. "Dinner at
the fanciest restaurant in Tokyo, dancing, and..." I trailed
off, theatrically.

"And what, Gure, tell
me already!"

"And I'm revealing to
her the family secret." Ayame stared at me in shock, joking
around forgotten.

"Do you really think
that wise, Shigure?"

I nodded solemnly. "She'll
find out eventually, and I'd rather it was sooner rather than later."

Ayame nodded. "Before
you fall completely in love with her, correct?"

"Yes."

My friend nodded. "She's
really something else, isn't she? Hatori told me he was fond of the
girl, too, though not in the same way of course. She drops into your
life and completely changes things around, doesn't she?"

"Yeah, and I'm still
deciding whether that's a good thing or not."

"Do not worry, it is
a wonderful thing."

The door Tohru had
disappeared behind opened, and Mine popped her head out. "Presenting,
for the first time in heels, Tohru Honda!" she stepped out of
the way, and Tohru appeared. My jaw dropped.

* * * * * Tohru's POV
* * * * *

"Ah! You're here!"
A head popped out from the room we were approaching.

"Huh?" I
squeaked, as Mine grabbed me hands, leading me to another room.

Before I could do
anything, Shigure was out of sight, and I was face to face with Mine,
who was grinning wickedly. The last thing I heard from him was
"Sorry, Tohru. They needed a model, and I, well, you'll see soon
enough." the last words were muffled by the shutting door.

"Now the men can
talk, and so can we!" Mine beamed. She was walking to the back
of the small room we were shut up in. Clothes were lined up all along
the back wall, ranging from dresses to shirt and skirt sets. One gown
stood out amongst the others, a silky evening gown that faded from
black to a deep cerulean blue, with sparkling silver flowers flowing
down the side. It had spaghetti straps, with a lowish neck line.
(A.N. I have a dress like this, which gave me the idea. Can't really
design anything so spectacular myself, so I used that for the story,
though instead of silk, it's velvet. Wish I was skinny enough to wear
it!)

"That gown is
gorgeous..." I breathed.

Mine smiled. "It's
yours."

"What? I can't accept
a gift like that, it's too much!"

Mine took my hand and led
me over to the wall of clothes. "Tohru-chan, Sigure asked Ayame
and me to make all of these for you, as a thank you for all you've
done for him. He's really grown fond of you, and wants to do
something special for you. This dress is for tomorrow night, when
you'll need something like this for what he has planned for you."

"But why would he do
all this for me? He has no reason-"

"Yes he does. Tohru,
have you not seen the way he looks at you? I've only just met you,
but I've known Shigure-chan for a very long time, thanks to Ayame.
He's falling for you."

I didn't know what to say.
Shigure was falling for me? But... why would he? What made me so
special that I stood out to him in such a way? Sure I cared for him,
too, but could it be love?

Mine was watching me
carefully. Finally, she spoke again. "Even if you don't love him
yet, why don't you just accept everything he's done for you? It would
make him happy, and Ayame and me, too."

I thought about it, and
nodded, smiling. "Thank you, Mine-chan, for everything youv'e
done for us."

She smiled again, before a
mischievous glint passed through her eyes.
"So, shall we get you dressed?"

"Eh?! Dressed? You
mean I'm going to be putting the dress on now??"

"Of course! You need
to know how to put it on, don't you?"

I blushed, but couldn't
help agreeing with her. I'd never worn something so splendid before,
and would need all the help I could get.

"All right, first
off, have you ever worn heels before?" she asked me while I
undressed.

"No, never." she
was helping me pull the dress on now. It was so low I couldn't wear a
bra with it, but it had padding in the chest to hide the fact.

"You'll need to
practice walking in some before we show you to the guys, then."
While I adjusted the form fitting material she fetched some shoes for
me. When she returned, I gulped. The heel itself was very thin, and
about three inches high.

"Here we go..."
she muttered, "these are perfect for the dress. And with
Shigure's height you can get away with wearing them!"

I sat down in the chair
she led me to, putting the shoes on. The straps were thin and crossed
over my toes and behind my heel, helping to keep the shoe on. Mine
helped me to stand, and it took me a moment to adjust to the odd arch
my foot was now settled in. When I thought I would be able, I took a
step, steadying myself with Mine's help. For a few minutes I just
walked slowly around the room before Mine let go of my hand. I took a
few more steps, and announced I was ready.

Mine took her position at
the door, waiting for me to cross over to her. When I was there she
opened the door, popping her head out to announce it to the men.
"Presenting, for the first time in heels, Tohru Honda!" I
stepped around her and out the door.

As soon as Shigure came in
sight, I blushed, remembering what Mine had said to me about him, but
even more so by the reaction he gave me. His jaw dropped.

Slowly he stood up, and
took a small step towards me. "Tohru..." he whispered. I
noticed Ayame was gone, and so was Mine. We had been left alone in
the room, and I had no idea what was going to happen. The look in his
eyes was such that I couldn't meet his gaze, embarrassed.

"Mine said this was
going to be for tomorrow night, and... and that it was all your idea.
Thank you." I was still looking sideways at the ground. Shigure
was standing so close to me that I couldn't see my feet, and instead
merely saw his stomach, covered still by what he'd worn today. The
only difference was his shirt was unbuttoned at the top, and his tie
lay undone across his shoulders.

He brought his hand to my
chin, tilting my face up to meet his. I didn't know what to do, so I
merely forced my eyes to meet his. Soon I found I couldn't tear my
eyes away from his.

"Tohru..." he
whispered again. His hand cupped my cheek, thumb caressing my chin.
The appendage rose just slightly, and he was stroking my lips. My
breathing was becoming ragged as he did this, my mouth opening
slightly while he traced his thumb over my lips. Our eyes were still
glued to the others, and it seemed to me like he was getting closer
to me. His other hand was resting on my hip, and my own had risen to
his chest, distancing us just slightly, but it didn't matter. He
breathed my name again, and his thumb moved from my lips, replaced
soon enough as his mouth covered mine. He stroked my cheek lovingly
as our mouths molded themselves to each other. Our eyes had shut as
soon as our lips touched. My head was spinning and soon I felt
something tracing my lower lip. A moment later and my tongue was
dancing with his, our mouths silently eating at each others. I'd
never been kissed before, yet I somehow knew what to do, and it felt
so right to be kissing him like this.

When he slowly broke the
kiss, we just stared again into each other's eyes. My lips felt
slightly swollen, and we both breathed heavily. "Shigure..."
I whispered.

"Aww... how sweet!"
we turned, and there stood Mine and Ayame, both with their arms
crossed and big grins proudly displayed on their faces. Immediately
we separated, a blush evident on both our faces, more so on mine.

"I think the dress is
successful, don't you, Ayame?" Mine asked.

"Yes, quite
successful Mine. I can only wonder how our other creations shall be
greeted when seen on the lovely Tohru."

"I should think quite
likely in the same way as this dress, wouldn't you, Ayame?"

"One can only hope,
neh, Mine?"

"Yes, one can only
hope. Shall I take Tohru back to make certain it all fits, Ayame?"

"That would be best,
Mine, and I shall take Shigure back to be fitted for his own
clothing."

At once both plunged
forward, and I was dragged back into the other room while Shigure was
taken to another part of the store. The last thing I heard was Ayame
shouting "Make the last that
one, dear Mine!"

"Yes, sir!" she
shouted.

Soon I was being dressed
in all of the outfits lining the back wall. No sooner would I have
one on that it would be stripped off again and replaced by another.
For half an hour this went on until all of the outfits had been tried
on, and Mine was at last dressing me in what they had referred to as
that one.

The dress was a frilly
white dress with long sleeves and skirt. It was the sort of dress a
proper lady would have worn years ago, complete with gloves, flat
shoes, and ribbons in my hair.

"You're so cute,
Tohru, it's fun to dress you up!" Mine was saying, as she
attached the final ribbon to its proper place.

I blushed. "All these
clothes are so beautiful, I feel out of place wearing them."

"Don't. They fit you
perfectly, and if you think the reaction Shigure gave you to the
evening gown was nice, wait til you see what he does with this one!"
she exclaimed, giggling happily. "How was it, anyway?"

"Oh," I sighed,
"that was amazing! I've never been kissed like that before... or
kissed! He invokes in me feelings I don't understand, but it felt so
wonderful, I just melted into it. Was that... the right thing to do?"

Mine just stared at me for
a moment before giving me a kind smile. "Of course it was,
Tohru-chan. Just be yourself, and everything will turn out fine."
she gave me an encouraging hug before softly pushing me out into the
room where Shigure would soon be joining me. I sat and waited. When
he came in, I was reminded of just how incredibly handsome the man
was.

* * * * * Shigure's POV
* * * * *

She was gorgeous,
absolutely breath taking. All I could do was stare in wonder as the
goddess looked around embarrassingly, trying very hard not to meet my
gaze. I breathed her name, and each time her cheeks grew just a
little more flushed.

"Mine said this was
going to be for tomorrow night, and... and that it was all your idea.
Thank you." I was standing so close to her now, her stare went
from her feet to only seeing my stomach, which only caused her to
turn an even darker shade of red before quickly averting her eyes.

Tilting her face up to
meet mine and I was lost in her eyes, drinking in the beautiful orbs'
light. "Tohru..." I breathed again, lips parting and
staying open just slightly. I was losing control, and the softness of
the skin beneath my hand insured I was certainly not getting it back
soon. I was caressing her face, my thumb going from her chin to
tracing her lips. My unoccupied hand had found her waist, and both of
her small ones had somehow landed on my chest, keeping us from
embracing. She doesn't even know yet that we couldn't embrace, had we
wanted to. From her own ragged breathing I could tell she did, but
was a little frightened.

My tracing of her lips
stopped when they slowly parted, and soon her beautiful eyes closed
as mine did as well, a new connection being made. Our mouths were
perfectly molded, moving against each other with such familiarity
even though we'd never kissed before, scarcely even touched the
other. I couldn't help myself for wanting to deepen the kiss, to
taste even more of her than I had already partaken of. She joined me,
passionately, in a little war of our tongues, before I slowly ended
the kiss. She would need to breathe soon, and it would be bad if she
fell against me. Any closer and she would soon know my terrible
secret, and the moment would be lost, as would probably she.

For the first time, she
breathed my own name, and I could have kissed her again, which I
almost did.

"Aww, how sweet!"
a voice behind us chimed. We broke apart, quickly, both with flaming
faces, no matter how unusual that was for me.

"I think the dress is
successful, don't you, Ayame?" Mine asked..

"Yes, quite
successful Mine. I can only wonder how our other creations shall be
greeted when seen on the lovely Tohru."

"I should think quite
likely in the same way as this dress, wouldn't you, Ayame?"

"One can only hope,
neh, Mine?"

"Yes, one can only
hope. Shall I take Tohru back to make certain it all fits, Ayame?"

"That would be best,
Mine, and I shall take Shigure back to be fitted for his own
clothing."

No sooner had their
conversation ended than I was being dragged out by my best friend and
Mine was forcing Tohru back through the dressing room door. "Make
the last that one,
dear Mine!" Ayame called out.

"Yes, sir!" the
girl shouted to him in response. I had absolutely no idea what was
going on. I'd asked for clothing for Tohru, not me!

"Ayame, what on earth
are you doing?!" I half screamed at him. He'd just interrupted
my moment with Tohru, for Pete's sake!

"Now, now, Gure,
don't be angry. That was for your own good." he said calmly,
slowing down as we reached the unknown destination. It was another
back room, one I'd never been in before.

I grumbled. "How,
exactly, was that for my own good?"

"You almost embraced
the girl, and as such would have frightened her away! Honestly, dear
cousin, use some tact!"

He released the grip he'd
had on my arm and had turned to face me, all joking aside. It was a
look he rarely showed to anyone, least of all me, considering all the
joking we did.

"Shigure, you have
got to control yourself better. One more second with Tohru and you
would have kissed her again, never letting her go. Her arms would
have wound themselves around your neck, and then she'd be busy
kissing a dog!"

Groaning, I rested my head
on his shoulder. "That's how Mine found out, isn't it?" I
asked him, calmly.

"Yes, indeed. She ran
away screaming as she realized her tongue was grazing a snake's
fangs, but to my relief she returned the next day. I told her about
the family's curse, and thanked the gods when she hugged me, holding
my smaller form to her chest."

I stood up, facing away
from him. "Akito... he doesn't know about that yet, does he?"

"No. Only you and
Tori-san do."

"As only you and
Hatori will know about Tohru. He doesn't even know she lives with me,
yet."

"Dangerous life
style, my friend."

I could only nod, before
grinning again. "It seems the mighty canine has been tamed,
doesn't he?"

Ayame smiled. "No,
Gure, not yet. The mighty canine still has a ways to go before he's
completely under the power of his small lover."

We did our thumbs up
before he suddenly turned mischievous
again.

"I do believe I have
a mission to accomplish in here, now, dear friend..." he
whispered evilly.

"Should I be
worried?"

"Not yet. Before I'm
finished with you, you shall be though."

My eyes rolled, and soon
my tie and shirt was being thrown across the room. "Ayame, what
the hell are you doing?!"

"You need some new
suits, and a tuxedo for tomorrow night, Gure. I will not be insulted
again by your wearing another designers fashions in front of me."
He was busy running a tape measure across my chest and arms, no
sooner laying it across some skin before it was whipped away again

I sighed. "Sorry,
Ayame, but since when do you make men's suits?"

"Since last week,
when you first commissioned the young lady's wardrobe. I learned how
to make them and have already finished. I just needed to get your
measurements for the tuxedo's jacket. It will need to be adjusted."
while he spoke he was dragging out a rolling clothes rack, filled
with button up shirts, slacks, and my usual yukatas. In front of them
all were two dry cleaning bags, with two tuxedos visible through the
clear wrapping. One was the black I was going to rent from somewhere
tomorrow, the other a white.

He gave me a knowing look.
"The white is not yours to keep. Mine and I just want you to
match Tohru in a few moments."

"Let me guess: now
is when I need to be worried."

He gave me a sadistic
smile. "Very, Gure."

Ten minutes later, both
Tuxedos had been fitted to my body, and I was being pushed into the
same room as earlier. There sat Tohru, positively shining in a white
dress covered in frills and bows. She looked like a proper lady of
years long gone, and was pale except for her apparent blush upon my
entrance.

Ayame, the fast worker,
had me dressed in a pure white tuxedo, with matching shoes, gloves,
and top hat.

"Well," I
smiled, "It seems we have both been surprised tonight."

The girl went from
gorgeous to positively adorable. She stood, slowly, coming towards
me. Her eyes never left mine. "Pleasantly so. I still have yet
to thank you, Shigure."

She rarely called me by my
name without the honorific. I liked it better that way. "Have
you decided just how you are going to do that?" I teased.

"Almost. I'm just
deciding when to do so, now."

"Well, shall we dance
while you do?"

"Gladly." I bent
low in a sweeping bow, while she did a curtsy in response. Still bent
low, I gazed up into her eyes, while reaching for her hand and giving
the top a slow, lingering kiss. Straightening, I kept my grip on her
hand and led her to the middle of the room, just a step or two away.
I turned her to face me, placing her unoccupied hand on my shoulder,
before placing mine on her small waist again. We stepped off, and I
twirled her around the room, our feet keeping perfect rhythm with the
others'.

This personality I seemed
to have developed from meeting her is so unlike me, yet I like it
better. Before I never would have admitted to her power over me, nor
to the feelings she aroused from somewhere deep inside. Before I
never would have danced with her. If anything, she'd have been mine
for a night, and gone from my life the next. Why I helped her that
first day, I still don't understand. but it would content me to be
like this with her for the rest of my life. Ayame was right. I've
fallen for her, and I've fallen hard.

* * * * *

Wow... that took me
forever to get written. Sorry guys! Hope you liked it, the next
chapter will hopefully begin to get this plot moving!

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.